To start the Texas Parent Taught Driver Education program, you must: Determine whether you qualify as an instructor, Submit an application for each teen along with a $20.00 non-refundable fee. (check or money only), Obtain/purchase approved Texas PTDE course materials.

To obtain a Texas Learner’s or Provisional License, you must Meet the requirements of an original applicant, Complete the first 6 hours of Texas classroom instruction of any PTDE course. (Texas Learner’s license only), Student and Instructor must bring the required documents to the Texas driver license office. These include the Texas Parental Driver Education Affidavit (DL-90A) and Classroom Instruction and Texas Behind-the-Wheel Record (DL-91A and DL-91B) for PTDE, Pass the mandatory Texas driving test. NOTE: For customer convenience, some locations are pre-scheduling the driving exam. Contact your local Texas Driver License office to see if appointments are offered.

Requesting a Packet
An additional Request Form and $20.00 non--refundable fee are required for each student who will be participating in the Texas Parent Taught Driver Education Program. Please allow 2 - 3 weeks for delivery. The Texas Parent Taught Driver Education packet will be mailed to the INSTRUCTOR’S address.

The Request Form MUST be completely filled out with original signatures or the process will be delayed.

NOTE: No classroom instruction is permitted prior to signing up with Texas DPS and requesting the TX Parent Taught Driver Education packet. Any instruction prior to that time will not be accepted toward the required instruction time.

1. the future driver’s: parent, step-grandparent, step-parent, foster parent, grandparent, or legal guardian. A legal guardian is defined as a guardian who has been legally appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction. Power of Attorney is not legally sufficient.

If you are not one of the above-mentioned people, you are NOT eligible to teach parent taught driver ed., i.e. a spouse may not teach PTDE to his/her wife/husband.

2. Have a responsible driving history as defined by law:

The instructor must have held a valid Texas driver license for the past three years.

With no suspensions or revocations for traffic related violations.

With less than 6 points on his driving record prior to the beginning of instruction. (If you have paid a surcharge for points in the past year, you are probably not eligible to instruct Texas Parent Taught Drivers Ed).

The instructor must NEVER have been convicted (or received a probated sentence) for: Driving While Intoxicated/Driving Under the Influence (in another state), or Criminally Negligent Homicide.

Plus, the instructor may not be disabled due to mental illness. Questions as to mental stability will be forwarded to the Medical Advisory Board for determination.

Check your record before signing up
It is the responsibility of the instructor to check both his criminal and driver records prior to signing up for PTDE and requesting the TX DPS packet. If part of the past 3 years of your driver history is out of state, you must bring your out of state driver history record to the tx driver license office. The Department will not confirm the instructor's eligibility until issuance of the student’s learner license or provisional driver license. If, at the driver license office, it is determined that the instructor was not eligible to teach parent taught driver education (i.e. has a prohibited conviction, suspension, revocation or points), the learner license or provisional driver license will be denied and all prior classroom and behind the wheel/in car instruction credit is invalid.

For instructors with out of state driver license history during the past 3 years, the instructor must bring a complete driver history called a “certified abstract” from their former state(s) to the driver license office when the student applies for issuance of the learner license or provisional driver license.

Concurrent method
Almost all students complete driver education under the concurrent method. Under the concurrent method, prior to taking the written examination and applying for an learner license, the student, at minimum, must complete the first 6 hours of classroom instructions of any approved Texas Parent Taught Driver Education course.

Prior to beginning any driving (i.e. any behind the wheel driving or in-car observation), the student must obtain a Texas learner license from the Texas Department of Public Safety (to apply the student is at least 15 years of age and meets all other eligibility requirements).

Under the concurrent method, after completion of the first 6 hours of the classroom instruction and obtaining a Texas learner license from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the instructor and student must complete the remaining 26 hours of classroom instruction simultaneously with the 7 hours of in-car observation, 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, and 20 hours of behind-the-wheel practice (10 hours which must be conducted at night) prior to applying for a driver license.

Block Method
The student completes all 32 hours of classroom instruction of the program as prescribed under one of the Texas Department of Public Safety approved PTDE courses ( Course 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110 and 111). The student is then eligible to test for a Texas Learner License. Prior to advancing to the 34 hours of behind-the-wheel and in-car practice, the student must be at least 15 years of age and meet all other eligibility requirements to obtain a Texas Learner License.

If a student selects the block method but wishes to transfer to or from the Texas Parent Taught Driver Education Program, all 32 hours of classroom instruction must be completed prior to transferring to a TEA approved driver training school. No hours of instruction (classroom or behind-the-wheel) may be transferred between the Parent Taught Driver Education Program and a TEA approved driver training program.

Failure to complete remaining hours
If the student is issued an learner license after completing the first six (6) hours of classroom instruction but then fails to complete the remainder of the 32 hours of classroom instruction, the instructor MUST notify the Texas Department of Public Safety that the student has failed to complete the Concurrent Driver Education Program by submitting the Parent Taught Driver Education Cancellation Form (Form DL-93). Upon receipt of this form, the Department will cancel the Texas learner license that was issued to the student who failed to complete the CONCURRENT driver education program. The fees previously paid (both for the PTDE packet and the Texas learner license) will be forfeited. After cancellation, ALL previous driver education training hours (classroom instruction, behind-the-wheel instruction, and in-car instruction) are forfeited and must be repeated. After cancellation, the applicant will have to make a new application and pass all required exams again to obtain another Texas learner license or Texas Driver License.

No transfering to or from parent taught
A student may choose to use parent taught for either classroom instruction or behind the wheel or both. The student must then complete the instruction under the chosen method or start anew. No hours of instruction (classroom or behind-the-wheel) may be transferred between a Parent Taught Program and a TEA approved driver training school.

Obtaining the learner’s or provisional license
At least one of the instructors must accompany the student when applying for the Texas learner license or Class C Driver License. If there is more than one instructor teaching this course, a separate Classroom Instruction-Driver Education Affidavit (a DL-90A) and a separate Behind the Wheel Instruction-Driver Education Affidavit is required for each instructor (a DL-90B). The affidavit for the absent instructor will need to be notarized before coming to the Driver License Office.

No behind-the-wheel instruction or in-car practice may be permitted until the child has been issued a Texas learner license. Driving without a license or permit on a public street or highway is a violation of state law. Any behind-the wheel instruction prior to issuance of the learner license will not be accepted toward the required instruction or practice time.

Classroom and Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Log Records should be completed by the instructor daily. You may be required to present this form as proof you have completed all objectives outlined in the Parent Taught Education Program.

What is Texas Parent Taught Driver Education?

Texas Parent taught driver education has become a very popular drivers ed option in the past decade. A state-approved drivers ed course, such as "Help for the Teenager Who Wants to Drive", guides the student and parent throughout the entire course. Teaching your teen to drive is made easy with our Texas online drivers education course, designed just for the teenager, as well as the teaching parent. Texas students will learn state rules and laws by following the state handbook. When it comes time to begin driving, parents will take the student on the road, while utilizing our guidelines for behind-the-wheel training available at the end of each level.

Texas Parent Taught Drivers Education Saves Lives

October 12, 2016 | Christopher J. Klicka

Maybe your son just turned 15. He cannot wait to drive. Although you are not too confident he will be ready to drive anytime soon, you know it is too difficult to delay his driving until he is 18.

Or your daughter is already 16 and you are thinking how wonderful it will be to have her do some errands for you so you can spend less time as the family chauffeur.

Perhaps you heard about a recent major accident where two young drivers were badly injured and one was killed. Apparently, the inexperienced driver became distracted and lost control of the vehicle. These are the types of stories you have heard many times before in the news.

A father in your church bemoans the fact that his daughter recently crashed the family car for the second time. Fortunately, only the car was damaged, and no one was hurt. But his insurance rates are going up and his car is in the shop again.

Deep down you are worried about your children. You know young inexperienced drivers are dangerous. The statistics demonstrate teenagers cause a large portion of accidents.

If children who take public school or commercial driver courses are causing all of these accidents, what can you do differently to better train your children how to drive?

How about doing it yourself? After all, you teach your children in all other subjects. You and your spouse taught them how to walk, talk, read, write, figure, research, be self-disciplined, do hundreds of types of chores, numerous skills, and to know and live by God's absolute moral standards.

Why not teach your children how to drive?

Texas Drivers Education: Traditional Programs Are Failing

Although all 50 states have laws regarding drivers education, statistics demonstrate the current methods are not working. More 16-year-old Texas drivers are dying in vehicle crashes than ever before, even though the number of traffic deaths has declined among the driving populace in general. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2006, 6,964 people were killed in crashes involving young drivers ages 16-20, and 3,374 young drivers ages 16-20 were killed in 2005.

Such injuries are by far the leading public health problem for young people 13 19 years old. The crash risk is particularly high during the first years in which teenagers are eligible for driver’s licenses.

The problem is worse in the United States than in many other countries because we allow teenagers to get drivers licenses and cars at an earlier age than in most other countries, and little driving experience is required before these licenses are issued. Licenses are also inexpensive and easy to obtain.

In 2001, I traveled to Germany to help local homeschoolers establish their own German homeschool legal defense organization. I learned that it is very difficult for young people to obtain drivers licenses. Not only must a student be 18 to obtain a license, but it costs over $1,500!

In America, the risk of crash involvement per mile driven among drivers 16-19 years old is four times the risk among older drivers. Risk is highest at ages 16 and 17. In fact, the crash rate per mile driven is almost three times as high among 16-year-olds as it is among 18-19-year-olds.

Crashes involving young people typically are single vehicle crashes that involve driver error and/or speeding, and usually result in the vehicle being run off the road.

A study on driver education conducted by George Mason University in Virginia (cited below) sheds light on the reasons why teenagers are susceptible to driving mishaps:

Teens, on their part, view driving as a right rather than a privilege. Overwhelmingly, study participants cited teen drivers’ inexperience as well as their feeling of invincibility and willingness to take risks as contributing factors in unsafe driving behaviors. Participants also noted that teen drivers are easily distracted and lack the skills and judgment necessary to recover from unexpected incidents.

Texas Certified drivers education Does Not Ensure Results

Many states require drivers education to be administered through the local public school or a “state certified” commercial driving school. Shouldn’t parents have the choice to teach their children how to drive safely? After all, it is parents who are responsible for the well-being and safety of their children.

The Solution: Texas Parent Taught Drivers Education

Parental involvement is the answer. I am convinced the best way to be involved in your teenager’s driving instruction is to do it yourself!

I have talked to thousands of parents who despaired over the academic decline in the public schools. They turned to homeschooling to prevent their child from becoming a statistic of academic failure. They often told me, “We can do a better job of teaching our children than the schools.” And they did! All the statistics show homeschooling students all over the country continue to excel academically. Why do homeschool children on the average score higher than the national average on national achievement tests? Because parents teach them one on one, know their strengths and weaknesses best, love them more, and are willing to sacrifice what it takes to provide them a good education.

Teaching our own children how to drive is merely an extension of this philosophy. It is an opportunity to apply the same principles involved in successful homeschooling. But you can add one important ingredient and incentive: in drivers education, your children’s lives are at stake.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believes that parent taught driver education is a reasonable alternative for families in lieu of state-licensed drivers education programs. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a study in 1985 of 52,304 public high school licensed and unlicensed students from 75 schools in seven different states. They found that, “the most important teaching sources were fathers, mothers and school courses.” Sixty-six percent of the high school drivers reported their fathers contributed some or a lot and 56% reported similar contributions from their mothers.

As of September 2006, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Status Report advised Americans that traditional driver education does not provide the intended benefits of producing a safer driver. This report suggests that the way to lower crash potential is to gradually release young drivers as they demonstrate maturity and skill, while simultaneously using parents to train and monitor them during this process. Therefore, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommends that new drivers be trained through what they call Graduated Driver Licensing’a systematic process that controls progression to unrestricted driving. The new driver initially receives a restricted license and graduates to an unrestricted license through time and increased experience. Graduated licensing laws have been adopted in 47 states and usually include such restrictions as curfews, limits on the number of teen passengers, requirements involving parental supervision, and zero tolerance for teen alcohol use.

Parent taught driver education programs like the National Driver Training Institute (NDTI) of Colorado Springs take the process a step further by initiating the controlled progression during the driver education process through an entirely parent taught program. Rather than relying on the state to oversee the young driver’s progress, the parents assess the teen’s maturity, attitude, and experience to determine the conditions under which he may drive. Many of the largest insurance companies across the country have recognized NDTI’s parent taught driver education program, “Help for the Teenager Who Wants to Drive,” as an approved program. Many states have formally approved or certified the program.

In October 2000, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs conducted a research project on the effectiveness of parent taught driver training. The survey population consisted of teens that had completed the National Driver Training Institute’s parent taught driver education program.

For example, according to insurance company statistics, out of every 100 teen drivers:

37 will be ticketed for speeding,

28 will be involved in accidents,

13 will be injured in an automobile accident,

4 will be ticketed for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and

1 will be killed in an automobile accident.

On the other hand, according to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs survey, for every 100 students using NDTI’s parent taught driver education program:

8 were ticketed for speeding,

8 were involved in accidents,

6 were injured in automobile accidents,

1 was ticketed for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and

there were no fatalities.

In the 1940s and 50s, parents were the primary teachers of their own children in drivers education programs. Later in the 1960s and 70s, the focus shifted to school taught drivers education. This shift was made in the hopes of assisting teenagers in driving tests and in gaining important driving skills. However, the statistics clearly demonstrate that this has not improved teenage driving safety.

A study of issues affecting young drivers, released in December 2000 by George Mason University’s Center for Advancement of Public Health and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, identified parental involvement as the most important factor in teaching teens safe driving behaviors. The study, which is entitled Young Drivers: A Study of Policies and Practices, used data gathered through interviews with state and national experts as well as focus groups held with parents, teens, and driver education instructors. The study reports that teens develop driving habits based on their parents as role models.

However, the study notes that in teaching teens to drive, parents often rely on the information and techniques with which they are familiar and unknowingly pass on outdated and sometimes erroneous information. While driver education provides a comprehensive overview for first time drivers, the curriculum is most effective when parents get involved in behind the wheel practice sessions with young drivers. Parents are often unaware that young drivers need far more practical experience behind the wheel than the drivers education curriculum is able to provide. (The study is available on the George Mason University website or may be requested by calling 703- 993 3697.)

How Do Texas Parent Taught Driver Education Courses Work?

The above reports show that an added benefit of parent taught drivers education is that, in addition to teaching their children to drive, parents themselves complete an 80-hour brush-up course! Parents who have signed affidavits of completion for their students have stated often that they have learned much from teaching their children how to drive and that their driving skills been enhanced as well.

Others require the student and parents to track their progress and accomplishments through each lesson. The NDTI program, for example, consists of seven levels. Each level has two parts. Part one is always classroom and part two is always behind the wheel. This is a concurrent program and the student must complete both classroom and the behind the wheel at each level with at least a 90% score before proceeding to the next level. Both the student and the parent must sign off at each level before being allowed by NDTI to graduate to the next level. Each student and parent has access to a 10-hour per day technical support team. Once the student has completed NDTI’s program and the technical support team has reviewed and approved all classroom and behind the wheel lessons, NDTI issues a completion certificate to be used with insurance companies to often obtain driver education discounts.

When considering parent taught driver education programs always consider the thoroughness of the program, whether it is recognized in your state (if necessary), and whether your insurance company will give you a drivers education discount. The most important factor, of course, is the safety of your children on the road behind the steering wheel.

In May of 1997 the state law in Texas was amended to allow for parent-taught drivers education programs. This change in state law put parents in the center of the training process. In early January of 1998, the Texas Board of Insurance reviewed this process and recommended its inclusion in the same category of training discounts as traditional methods. An insurance discount on premiums will encourage parents to seek this form of training, while reducing loss on the part of the insurance industry when they insure these more thoroughly trained, safer drivers.

Additionally, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Virginia have passed similar legislation recognizing the ability of parents to provide their students’ drivers education. The Departments of Motor Vehicles or Departments of Education in several other states have approved various parent taught driver education programs. The following states have specifically approved NDTI’s parent-taught drivers education course: Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia.

Many more states do not require any specific requirements for driver education, leaving parents free to choose between commercial driver education schools, public schools, or parent-taught driver education courses. As of October 2006, these states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Information sources at the end of this article can be checked to find out the laws in your state.

Regarding public school driver education programs, homeschoolers sometimes have difficulty accessing these classes and they do not include much parental involvement. However, driver education classes through the public school or commercial schools could always be supplemented by parent-taught driver education programs to ensure your child becomes the best and safest driver he or she can be. Our children’s lives are precious.

As Senior Counsel at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), I direct our legislative and legal contact work in all 50 states. In addition to defending homeschoolers being investigated by social workers and truant officers and working on home school and parents’ right and religious freedom legislation, we work to help expand parental choice in the area of parent taught driver education.

We urge you to be prepared to help pass parent taught driver education in your state or help preserve it if it has already been enacted. HSLDA believes that there are several reasons why the state legislatures should pass a parent directed driver’s training act:

It encourages parents to participate with the child in learning and to take more responsibility for the outcome. A parent typically has the greatest interest in the safety and well being of the child.

From the research we reviewed, there appears to be no statistical evidence in support of the claim that certified state mandated programs reduce crash rates. Parents with a good curriculum can provide a graduated form of instruction allowing for more time behind the wheel.

Allowing parents to teach their own children to drive provides them an alternative to public and commercial driving schools. It is cost-effective, convenient, and allows for a more gradual approach to learning new skills.

If certified instruction has no statistical effect on safety, what compelling interest does the government have in mandating it? Such mandates conflict with the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children.

The reason for the effectiveness of parent taught driver education is the same as the reason for the effectiveness of home education in general. Both utilize the tutorial method with a low student teacher ratio and individualized instruction aimed at mastery. Furthermore, parents do not want their children to harm themselves or cause accidents. Since parents care the most about their children and have the most to lose in the form of higher insurance rates and repairs to vehicles, parents take the time to teach their children well.

What are you waiting for? Let’s personally help our teenagers learn how to drive and as a result, maybe save their lives.

HSLDA - "Help for the Teenager Who Wants to Drive" is literally a life-saver. Every parent with children should plan on using this material to teach their children how to drive. I am planning on using it to teach all seven of my children!. It is the most thorough and effective driver training program available, enabling you to teach your child how to be a safe and experienced driver instruction that may someday save their life." Christopher Klicka, Senior Counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association.

Online Video Library

Upon enrollment, the student will have access to over 7 hours of high quality video content at the click of the button. All videos are also available on our Video Library DVD featured below. The online program is easy to follow, and provides over 100 video clips throughout the course to guide the new driver along the way. A high speed internet access is required.

What is Graduated Driver Licensing?

Essentially an apprentice system, graduated licensing involves three stages. the first is a supervised learner's period, lasting a minimum of 6 months in optimal systems, then an intermediate licensing phase that permits unsupervised driving only in less risky situations, and finally a full-privilege license becomes available when conditions of the first two stages have been met.

Within this framework, substantial variation is possible in terms of the provisions of the stages and their duration. This variation often has created difficulty for jurisdictions that are constructing a graduated system. Policymakers need to know what features their system should include and what the characteristics should be.

About Us

The National Driver Training Institute’s foundational curriculum combines the at-home or in-class study with hands-on activities, engaging all parts of the mind while testing the student’s grasp of the lesson. Not only does this make concepts easier to learn and remember, it’s fun.

There are seven levels to the curriculum, providing over 30 hours of accreditation. Each lesson concludes with a written examination (which can be taken repeatedly if necessary to achieve the desired score).